Prepping In Small Spaces (Apt.s, trailers, tiny homes)

[Lambykins]

Not everyone lives in a huge house with a full basement and acres of land.
Some of us live in apartments, trailers and tiny homes.
I live in a one bedroom apartment with a roommate. The living room (which is blessedly large) is my bedroom/office/art studio/sewing room/tv room. (room is 17' x 15')
My storage solutions for my prepping have to be creative.

I have 3 *totes* under my bed. In them I have extra canned and boxed food.
I have a large closet in the living room that I store more food (dry goods), plus gallon jugs of water. Also, extra blankets and other dry goods and items I deem useful. My camp stove and propane tanks for it, candles, extra flashlights, spare batteries, winter clothes (during summer) and summer clothes (during winter).

There is an entryway off the kitchen that is my entrance and I use that space for more storage while keeping the doorway clear for ease of egress.
There is a large shelf and a large clothes pole installed in the entry and I hang most of my clothes there as well.
The entryway holds my stored toiletries/hygiene needs (shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc)

I *built* a nightstand out of two milkcrates (I can get them free from work) and put a cut to size piece of plywood on for a top, then covered it all with a lovely piece of fabric. In the milkcrates are dehydrated foods.
Oh yeah, I use milk crates for my bed frame as well. It sits up a little higher and gives me more room for those totes under it.

If you live in a small space, how do you store your preps?
Most of mine cannot be seen unless you actively search for them.
Do you conceal your preps or just have them out in the open?

[Halfapint]

While we DO live on acreage and there is a house and garage on the property we do not use any of them for storage. So everything we have has to fit in our Trailer. I will say that we are lucky in that this trailer has a LARGE storage area under the bedroom/bathroom. we have a large pantry that I built more shelves in for canned goods. The shelves that are above where the sofa was (against the very back of trailer) are our dry goods storage. We store pasta, ramen, the extra home dried goods, the dehydrator and wool blankets. There was an electric fireplace that doubled as a small space heater but it was woefully inadequate for heating, behind that was a large storage area where the TV could be hidden. We took out the fireplace and removed the TV (we never watched it anyways), we put shelving in there and that holds our bulky stuff like vacuum sealer, jars, printer, etc.

everything else we store down below in the storage area. We use the costco totes (black and yellow ones) and have everything labeled on the front and back as well as on top of the lid with tape. Overall friends and family have NO idea how much food/gear we have. We keep 1 gallon mason jars in the pantry that we can fill with our bulk goods like rice, beans, lentils, faro, quinoa, other stuff.

[Ever (Zombiepreparation)]

 

What a great thread. Just my size and need for living in 455sq ft with near or just under a year of at least foundation foods, meds, hygiene, and paper preps getting on my last nerve sometimes because of the space it takes up. Am pretty exhausted after sixteen months of pandemic that's lowered any energy to shape them into something less bulky. They're under the bed, on the shelves, in the closets, tubs great and small along several walls in the two rooms, along with filled boxes in stacks draped with unattractive cloth and dental costs in the way-too-much to even consider purchasing thrift store nicer to look at drapie cloths in the near future. 😂

Grateful I have them but lockdown looking at them, months of isolating looking at them. Ugh.

  Just saying this to people who relate to prepping is a relief. Anyone else I know would see this and/or actually know how much food is in this place would think I'm nutty.

And even on this side of hopefully the worst of covid I can't seem to rationalize reducing the quantity because of the ransom hacking I can see causing supply chain issues, exacerbating social issues, contributing to civil unrest....   criminy.

Which is to demonstrate how happy I am to see this thread. 👍

[Lambykins]

It IS a bit disheartening to see folks showing off pics of their pantries, storage rooms in basements, two car garages with extra freezers and loads of neat shelving...
While I have basically one room, an entryway (which is about closet sized), a kitchen I share and the closet in my room...
Add to that...I'm on the second floor, which means I have to cart everything up an outside staircase.
So, I buy things in small quantities (no need for my neighbors to see me hauling in 45 cans of corned beef hash!) and carry them up the stairs.

After I finish painting the apartment, I'll post some pictures to show how I conceal a lot of my supplies.
Right now, everything is an unholy mess, due to moving furniture and such around to get to all the areas I am painting.

[RoneKiln]

I'm in a poorly designed 430 square foot cottage. I find it pretty easy by not having lots of stuff.

I know that sounds ridiculous. Stop and think of the difference between gear, supplies, and stuff. Most of us living in the US have a ton of old junk in our houses. I brutally culled old books, games, memorabilia, hobby stuff, and everything else except the firearms and woodshop.

Luckily the woodshop is in a seperate structure. But I don't keep any of my house stuff or preps in that structure.

By not having lots of stuff I can store a lot of supplies in my little place.

The weak point I had last year when the pandemic started was freezer space to stock meat. I only have the little freezer built into my fridge. But when filled almost entirely with meat, it lasted me a long time. Luckily I was given a pressure canner last fall and I learned how to can chicken. That now allows me to store several more weeks worth of meat.

[Halfapint]

I'm in a poorly designed 430 square foot cottage. I find it pretty easy by not having lots of stuff.

I know that sounds ridiculous. Stop and think of the difference between gear, supplies, and stuff. Most of us living in the US have a ton of old junk in our houses. I brutally culled old books, games, memorabilia, hobby stuff, and everything else except the firearms and woodshop.

Luckily the woodshop is in a seperate structure. But I don't keep any of my house stuff or preps in that structure.

By not having lots of stuff I can store a lot of supplies in my little place.

The weak point I had last year when the pandemic started was freezer space to stock meat. I only have the little freezer built into my fridge. But when filled almost entirely with meat, it lasted me a long time. Luckily I was given a pressure canner last fall and I learned how to can chicken. That now allows me to store several more weeks worth of meat.

Like I said above we DO have a huge house and garage on the property. But we don't want to intrude on my grandparents place. They've lived there 40 years and are set in their ways. Before we moved I made the wife purge 50% of her clothes, I got rid of the totes full of old games, things I'd collected over the years, and just garbage "stuff". I hate "stuff", I don't like bric-a-brac, and I go though about once a year and do date, give, or throw away a bunch of stuff I've collected. but I have lots of mason jars, cast iron pans, spices, "stuff" that's useful.

[Ever (Zombiepreparation)]

I brutally culled old books, games, memorabilia, hobby stuff

When I emerged from isolation this pandemic I did that too.

The weak point I had last year when the pandemic started was freezer space to stock meat. I only have the little freezer built into my fridge. But when filled almost entirely with meat, it lasted me a long time.

I also have what I refer to as a thumbnail size freezer built into my fridge.

I, like you, filled it with my protein. In my case it was fully cooked scrambled eggs in various seasoning batches.

I had discovered Ziploc's small rectangular containers that stack and fit cheek-jowl across the length and width to eliminate wasted space as well as leaving the blower clear to work efficiently. Stacked longways in. Each one holds 4-5 scrambled eggs.

Brilliantly easy to rotate the dates too... pull out a front stack, set it on the counter, pull out the back stack, set it on the counter. The other stacks stand there peacefully. Put the stacks back in the date rotated order. They just slide right in.

68 containers X 4.5 eggs = 306 eggs. 😎

I use a Sharpy permanent magic marker to label and date each one; one end & one side for brilliantly easy access. (same end, same side) The marker washes off when they're empty.

I can highly recommend them for thumbnail size fridge freezers.



After emerging from isolation I discovered I can portion cooked meat in them the same way.

[Ever (Zombiepreparation)]

Oh, yeah. As well as recently discovering I can buy bags of frozen veggies, take them out of the bag and store them in the containers. And I guess fresh if I had a mind to.

I Really recommend those little rectangle Ziploc containers for tiny fridge freezers in tiny houses, trailers, & apartments.

😄 👍

[boskone]

I brutally culled old books, games, memorabilia, hobby stuff, and everything else except the firearms and woodshop.

I'd someone told me to cull my books, I'd have to use the firearms on them.

My dream house plan has a library for a reason.  It could be a guest bedroom...but who wants guests?

</bibliophile>

[SCBrian]

I felt that way for a while, but once I got a kindle, I really lowered the amount of old books I kept.  Now I just keep authors I really really like, and survival & reference type...

[boskone]

I have a Kobo I really like, but there's just something about the feel and smell of dead tree format books.

[Lambykins]

I have a Kobo I really like, but there's just something about the feel and smell of dead tree format books.

Dead tree format books.
EVERY TIME.
I have no kindle, I don't read books on my phone. I will occasionally read stories on my laptop...but I prefer a book in the hand to two in the ether.

[RoneKiln]

I have a Kobo I really like, but there's just something about the feel and smell of dead tree format books.

I agree. There's a wonderful magic to Kindle books being available on all my devices. But there's just a bit of soul missing from it compared to a real book. Especially an old worn cherished favorite book. I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Culling books was the hardest for me. I did it in stages and I have to be pretty brutal about it to keep them from stacking up.

Old gaming stuff was real hard to clear out too, but I had a good emotional support network of gamer friends that completely understood. The first several waves I sold on eBay paid my rent in Seattle for 6 months when I went back to school (Seattle was cheap back then). Even with that I still have three large bins of stuff I've not really touched in years that I should put on eBay or donate.

Memorabilia and old event shirts were easier to let go when I realized I could take pictures of them to help capture the memories they represented.

[sheddi]

I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Actual fact: Watership Down is a real place and I live close enough that I can walk there, from my home, and back in a day.
And yes, it has rabbits. Plus seasonal sheep.

[NT2C]

I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Actual fact: Watership Down is a real place and I live close enough that I can walk there, from my home, and back in a day.
And yes, it has rabbits. Plus seasonal sheep.

Huh!  The wife and I were just talking about it this morning as we watched one of "our" rabbits eating clover on our front lawn.

[Lambykins]

I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Actual fact: Watership Down is a real place and I live close enough that I can walk there, from my home, and back in a day.
And yes, it has rabbits. Plus seasonal sheep.

I demand pictures of the actual Watership Down. Bonus points if there's a bunny in the pics! 

[RoneKiln]

I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Actual fact: Watership Down is a real place and I live close enough that I can walk there, from my home, and back in a day.
And yes, it has rabbits. Plus seasonal sheep.

I demand pictures of the actual Watership Down. Bonus points if there's a bunny in the pics! 

https://britishheritage.com/journey-to-watership-down

Wow. I must visit England.

[MPMalloy]

Now I do my best to conceal/hide my preps and certain books.  I am de-cluttering as I speak.  I just culled about half of my books yesterday.  I know, I know:  HERESY AGAINST DOCTRINE!!! but I can't remember why I got them & I'm just not going to read them.

I really have a lot of crap around here.  I've going about things wrong.

[RoneKiln]

Now I do my best to conceal/hide my preps and certain books.  I am de-cluttering as I speak.  I just culled about half of my books yesterday.  I know, I know:  HERESY AGAINST DOCTRINE!!! but I can't remember why I got them & I'm just not going to read them.

I really have a lot of crap around here.  I've going about things wrong.

Way to go! Now it will be easier to find the more important books when you need them!

The second hard part is not filling in the new space with more crap, and being careful you only bring in truly useful gear. I've gotten much better about that, but it's still hard to pass up "deals" on crap that doesn't really make my life better.

[sheddi]

This is waaay off-topic for the thread and I apologise to anyone reading this in future weeks/month/years.

I cannot imagine replacing my copy of Watership Down with a kindle version.

Actual fact: Watership Down is a real place and I live close enough that I can walk there, from my home, and back in a day.
And yes, it has rabbits. Plus seasonal sheep.

I demand pictures of the actual Watership Down. Bonus points if there's a bunny in the pics! 

No bunnies but here are some photos I took today. I confess I drove most of the way there, only walking the last mile or so.

This is the footpath up to Watership Down. The soil is thin and the underlying rock is a mixture of chalk and flint. You can see the white rocks amongst the mud. It isn't obvious in the photo but this is a steady uphill climb.

Taken near here looking NW.

Turns out there was a cross-country marathon being run and Watership Down was on the route. The local HAMs were providing comms support. There was a realy station / repeater near the highest point of the hill.

Taken near here looking SW.

The cloud base was low and Watership Down was shrouded in mist. The Down is mostly managed for training race horses; those are steeplechase jumps you can see with the square cut trees.

Taken from the same place as the previous photo, looking E.

There is a tree planted on the Down to comemorate the book and its author Richard Adams. I think its a beech tree.

The tree has a small plaque attached to its protective fence (the fence stops sheep and deer eating the tree).

Tree and plaque here, photos taken looking S.

Another shot of the Down showing various horse racing features. It does leave the grass cropped short and probsbly suits rabbits.

Taken near here, looking SE.